The Coral Gables Art Cinema celebrates the South Florida Premiere of Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune, this Friday, Feb. 18, 2011.

Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune is a musical documentary portrait of the tumultuous 1960s and the unlikely folk hero and protest singer, Phil Ochs, who embodied the era. Over the course of a meteoric music career that spanned two decades, Ochs sought the bright lights of fame and social justice. This contradiction eventually tore Ochs apart.

From youthful idealism to fatalism, the arc of Phil Ochs’ life paralleled that of the complexity of 1960s America when the Vietnam War and the Bay of Pigs invasion gave rise to the antiwar movement, an age defined by Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. Ochs was part of the countercultural revolution in America, and this film reveals the anger, satire and righteous indignation that drove his music and also drove him to despair.

Commentary and interviews with Joan Baez, Tom Hayden, Pete Seeger, Sean Penn, Peter Yarrow, Christopher Hitchens, Ed Sanders and many others, coupled with performance footage of Ochs, brings this documentary film to life. For more information on life and times of Phil Ochs visit the film’s website here.

The opening night reception runs from 6:30 to 10:00 pm and is complimentary for anyone who purchases a ticket for the 7:30 or 10:00 p.m. screenings that night. The reception includes food courtesy of Pardo’s Peruvian Cuisine of Coral Gables, a Bacardi-sponsored open bar and live music in cooperation with The Folk Club of South Florida with social and political songs of yesterday and today. Director Kenneth Bowser will introduce both screenings on opening night, and take questions from the audience, projected on the Cinema’s movie screen through a live video link. Ticket prices for opening night are the same as for all screenings at the Cinema, only $9.

WHAT: Opening night special event, including reception, live music and live video link Q & A with director Kenneth Bowser, for South Florida Premiere of Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune. WHEN: Opening night Friday, Feb. 18 with screenings at 7:30 and 10:00 p.m., each including a complimentary reception with open bar and food from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. for all ticket buyers. Additional Screenings: Sat. 2/19 at 4:45 pm; Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8:15 p.m.; Monday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 9:30 p.m.; and Thursday, Feb. 24 at 5:45 p.m. Orgasm Inc. screenings Saturday, Feb. 19, at 6:45 & 8:30 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2:45 p.m.; Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 5:45 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7:45 p.m.; and Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7: 45 p.m. WHERE: Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, Fla. 33134; parking on-site in covered garage. ADMISSION: Tickets are $9 general admission, including opening night; $7 for seniors 65 and over and full time students (I.D. required); and $5 for children 12 and under. Members pay just $6. Tickets available at the box office only during screening hours, for current and advance sales. INFO: www.gablescinema.com, www.facebook/gablescinema, [email protected] or (786) 385-9689.